Experimental investigation of multiphase flow hydrodynamics in a rotating packed bed for carbon capture applications

Rotating packed beds (RPBs) offer significant potential for process intensification by employing high-gravity centrifugal forces to enhance gas-liquid mass transfer, crucial for compact carbon capture systems. In this talk, we present an experimental investigation to explore the hydrodynamics and droplet characteristics within a laboratory-scale RPB using compressed air and water as observed through high-speed imaging. Various packing materials were evaluated under rotational speeds up to 1700 rpm, under varying liquid-to-gas flow rate ratios. Pressure drop and power consumption were systematically measured to identify optimal operating conditions and flooding limits. Additionally, droplet formation and breakup phenomena were captured via high-speed imaging, enabling droplet size distribution analysis using the Rosin–Rammler model. Results highlight the strong dependence of droplet size distribution on rotational speed and packing material characteristics. These findings establish critical hydrodynamic benchmarks, facilitating optimized design and scaling guidelines for industrial-scale RPBs for carbon capture applications.